Lakers down Wayne State, secure playoff berth

SAULT STE. MARIE — Lake Superior State needed a win, and some help, in order to qualify for the postseason.

The Lakers helped themselves first, knocking off GLIAC North Division leader Wayne State 72-70 in the regular season finale at the Bud Cooper Gym Saturday.

Derek Kinney scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lakers in his final game at the Coop. The Lakers (14-12 overall, 11-11 GLIAC) earned the No. 8 seed in the GLIAC tournament, and will get a rematch at No. 1 seed Wayne State at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

"I have to thank each and every one of my teammates for fighting for me, because that could have been my last game," said Kinney, who scored 18 of his game-high 24 in the first half. "We beat the No. 1 team in the league. This gives us confidence going into the tournament, because if we can beat them we can beat anyone."

LSSU also received some help around the league, as Northwood beat Saginaw Valley 86-72.

The Lakers shot a season-high 61.9 percent from the field (26-of-42).

"That's a great win for our program," Laker coach Steve Hettinga said. "I couldn't be prouder of the way the guys played today. The seniors will always remember winning their last home game, and it put us into the GLIAC tournament."

The Lakers led nearly the entire game, but had to hold on down the stretch. LSSU's biggest lead was 11 points in the second half, but the Warriors went on a 6-1 run over the final 2:19. LSSU's Alex Williams and Derek Billing fouled out, allowing Wayne State to turn up the pressure and force some turnovers in the closing minutes.

Laker freshman Rashaun Carroll came off the bench, providing a spark by hitting two 3-point shots in the second half, and one of two free throws with 5.1 seconds left to give LSSU a 72-70 lead.

The Warriors had a final off-balance 3-point shot at the buzzer, but Chene Phillips' attempt came up short.

"I made almost every shot in warm-ups, so I came into the game confident," Carroll said. "As a freshman, it feels great to help our team make the tournament. We wanted it for the seniors."

The Lakers had contributions from throughout the lineup. Williams finished with 10 points, while Cameron Metz added nine points and eight rebounds. Seniors Nic Jobe and Khalid Wells both played some key minutes, joining Kinney in the starting lineup for the first time this season.

Wayne State (17-8 overall, 16-6 GLIAC) entered the game as the GLIAC North Division's top team. The Warriors finished in a three-way tie for the league's regular season title along with Michigan Tech and Findlay.

The Warriors shot 43.6 percent from the field, including 4-of-14 from behind the arc.

"They seemed to make almost every shot the last time we played them," Carroll said. "Today we did a better job of getting out on their shooters, double-teaming, boxing out. All the things that hurt us last game, we did better today."

The Lakers were coming off a 79-78 loss against Michigan Tech on Feb. 23. as Alex Culy's buzzer-beating layup off a full-court length pass was the game-winner, and made ESPN's SportsCenter highlights.

"That loss was a life-lesson type game," Hettinga said. "We were getting calls and messages from everybody and their brother about seeing us on SportsCenter, and losing a game at the buzzer like that was very difficult. I couldn't be prouder of how our guys prepared for Wayne State this week."

Cole Prophet totaled 16 points and five assists to lead WSU, which had five double-figure scorers. The 5-foot-6 point guard played the entire game.

"That's a heck of a Wayne State basketball team that we beat today," Hettinga said. "We shot better that 60 percent in both halves and had so many contributions. We turned it over too much, but we found a way to win at the end.

"We are, if nothing else, battled tested," Hettinga said. "We have been in some absolute drag-out dogfights, down the stretch. Today was no different."

Kinney, who surpassed the 1,000 career points barrier last week, moved into LSSU's top 10 for all-time rebounding.

"What more can I say about Derek Kinney?" Hettinga said. "He was the calming force for us again, like he has been all season. We knew it, they knew, the whole crowd knew he was getting the ball. He still scored anyway. I was happy for him and our seniors to go out on a high note like they did today."